Large panels on roof?

[noobie]

What do you all think of these panels for roof mounting?

https://solarpowerstore.ca/products/maple-leaf-solar-all-black-bifacial-solar-panel-570w

I realize being on a roof that the bifacial aspect will pretty much be useless but for 48c/W it seems like the best deal around in Canada at the moment.
According to the spec sheet, the 570W rating is NOT including the rear power output at all.

The thing is they are large.
Do people use these larger panels on roofs if they have the space?
It seems like mostly people use smaller panels, but that may be to try and jam more panels in the various faces of the roof.

 

[Danke]

What do you all think of these panels for roof mounting?

https://solarpowerstore.ca/products/maple-leaf-solar-all-black-bifacial-solar-panel-570w

I realize being on a roof that the bifacial aspect will pretty much be useless but for 48c/W it seems like the best deal around in Canada at the moment.
According to the spec sheet, the 570W rating is NOT including the rear power output at all.

The thing is they are large.
Do people use these larger panels on roofs if they have the space?
It seems like mostly people use smaller panels, but that may be to try and jam more panels in the various faces of the roof

570W rating is NOT including the rear power output at all.

Do you mean like a built-in micro inverter? It does have connections:

• Output Cables: 4mm2, 300mm (+) / 300mm (-)
• Connectors: Mc4 compatible

Here are some 470W bifacial panels for ~USD 0.12/W, shipping to the USA they come out to be ~$0.20W for 60 panels, or ~$0.22W for 30 panels. Not sure what shipping is to Canada.

https://us-icbuim-file.oss-us-east-1.aliyuncs.com/chat/cbba5aad117ec97b8d1aeeb45fd573ab.pdf?Expires=1709725722&OSSAccessKeyId=LTAIxlzvmECyZvmX&Signature=n8ECMdRLnLTqv%2FLlRGIdvB0HiLs%3D&response-content-disposition=fileName%3DBiMAX4%20144Cell%20445-470W%20SP470M-72H%20Bifacial.pdf

 

[Mike 134]

Reason to use smaller panels on a roof is handling them.

 

[noobie]

Do you mean like a built-in micro inverter? It does have connections:

• Output Cables: 4mm2, 300mm (+) / 300mm (-)
• Connectors: Mc4 compatible

Here are some 470W bifacial panels for ~USD 0.12/W, shipping to the USA they come out to be ~$0.20W for 60 panels, or ~$0.22W for 30 panels. Not sure what shipping is to Canada.

https://us-icbuim-file.oss-us-east-1.aliyuncs.com/chat/cbba5aad117ec97b8d1aeeb45fd573ab.pdf?Expires=1709725722&OSSAccessKeyId=LTAIxlzvmECyZvmX&Signature=n8ECMdRLnLTqv%2FLlRGIdvB0HiLs%3D&response-content-disposition=fileName%3DBiMAX4%20144Cell%20445-470W%20SP470M-72H%20Bifacial.pdf

I mean the 570W per panel is the PMax without the boost from the rear cells. With the boost from the rear cells it's 599+W it says.

I'll definitely look into other options for panels. I don't think I'd have enough room on the roof or property to fit an entire pallet of panels unfortunately and I'm still in the planning/gathering information stage as I won't be moving to our new house for a few months.

I think these large(almost 8 foot long) panels are typically used for ground mounts but mainly curious if people use them on their roofs.
The bifacial aspect is just a bit useless but the price per panel seems pretty cheap(although not as good as what you seem to have available)

My other option is ground mount but the available space in the back yard is not huge and may be plagued by shading, especially in the winter.

 

[noobie]

Reason to use smaller panels on a roof is handling them.

For sure. These ones are almost 70lb each and 7.5 feet long

 

[SparkyJJO]

I'd use them for ground mounts but no way I'd want to manhandle something like that on a roof.

 

[MTM98290]

My Dad and I put these up a couple years ago. They are 89x44" and very heavy. It is a good thing that we only had to do 4. It was a lot of work, but worth it. Any more than a few would make it more difficult. Either way putting a fragile heavy and dangerous panel on the roof is something to be very methodical about regardless of size.

 

[Q-Dog]

I wonder if panels that size are close to needing 3 mounting rails for wind load?

 

[MTM98290]

I wonder if panels that size are close to needing 3 mounting rails for wind load?

The panels that we used need 2 rails. The spec sheet shows how the rails should be spaced for maximum snow/wind load. There was no spec for a third rail, but it could be done, it seems like overkill. We did use the Ironridge XR 1000 rails which can have a 12' span between mounts. We did mounts every 5'.

 

[millsan1]

depends on how much hair you have on your chest, lol.

I put 400 watt panels on my roof, they weighed around 70lbs each. The weight wasn't the real challenge, it was the size. I also did it solo, so more work there. With 2 people I'd think it would be doable. Solo, these would be a bear.

 

[noobie]

My Dad and I put these up a couple years ago. They are 89x44" and very heavy. It is a good thing that we only had to do 4. It was a lot of work, but worth it. Any more than a few would make it more difficult. Either way putting a fragile heavy and dangerous panel on the roof is something to be very methodical about regardless of size.

That roof looks fairly steep. Ours won't be quite that steep, more of a normal house pitch. And shingles so it won't be slippery. I have some other large panels on an outdoor "catio" and I got them up there relatively easily(65lbs each I think). Although it's not as high.

I'll definitely have to look into all the proper racking requirements if I go this way. Thanks for your insight.

 

[MTM98290]

The roof is 12,/12 pitch or 45°. You can't step on the roofing as it has an air gap between the metal. Shingles and more reasonable pitch will make a large difference. Walking around on a big roof with grippy shingles would not be too bad.

Small panels are probably easier to handle, but we only needed 4 large panels vs 6 smaller ones as an example. If you can get big ones for less, it may be worth going with them. Having less connection points is a good thing.

The Ironridge mounting system was easy to deal with once you work out the parts that you need. There are others that are similar. See what you can find locally, shipping the rails means that they are cut to 7'. They go up to at least 17' if purchased locally.

 

[HighDesertOffgrid]

I wonder if panels that size are close to needing 3 mounting rails for wind load?

So far, so good with 2 rails. Got 80-100mph gusts all weekend. Put them up alone. Wasn't fun but only 4 of them.

 

[MTM98290]

Great minds think alike! An empty Suburban is a great panel transporter.

They look great on there and are a great fit on your roof.